JUSTICE GINSBURG'S CONDITION – AT 12:30 P.M. ET:  We should state that we have no ill will toward the justice, and wish her well.  However, her physical condition is a subject of intense public interest for obvious reasons.  So we report this as a news story.  From the New York Post: 

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent a pulmonary lobectomy in Manhattan on Friday and two malignant nodules were removed from her lung, the court announced.

The 85-year-old underwent the procedure at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center after the nodules were discovered in the lower lobe of her left lung, the court announced.

The discovery was made during tests performed at George Washington University Hospital to diagnose and treat rib fractures she sustained in a fall on Nov. 7.

Dr. Valerie Rusch, a thoracic surgeon, said both nodules were found to be malignant after preliminary tests, but there was no evidence of any remaining disease after the surgery.

COMMENT:  A Supreme Court judgeship is a lifetime appointment.  Because people are living longer and working longer, it would probably be wrong to change that rule, or impossible to get support.  But Justice Ginsburg's condition is worrying.  She's had a number of close calls.

Maybe Supreme Court justices could be subject to regular medical evaluations by an impartial panel.  We expect them to be in reasonable physical shape and excellent mental shape.  I think we might gently explore some evaluation procedure, which would not apply to any sitting justice, but would apply in the future.

December 21,  2018